Where is Everyone Else???

[xracer]

So far this season the following teams have been no shows;

Nassau:

New Hyde Park
Rockville Centre
Merrick
Hicksville

Suffolk:

Brentwood
Sayville
West Islip
Selden
Rivehead
Cutchogue

I also noticed that Riverhead is not hosting their annual drill this year?

It's a shame we will no longer see the crowds and the amount of teams participating in drill like there was in the '70s & "80s. With the amount of teams running this year, this may be the quickest and least amount of teams running in the States.

[sneaker1]

There are less teams from the 70's and 80's because of a big fact,it's money and the amount of volunteers in a department .Most departments on Long Island are hurting just to get members  I see the signs outside in front of FD's looking for members everyday,yet alone members that can spend more of their time to participate on a drill team. It's very expensive to live on Long Island now most people work two jobs just to get by.They also may not want to give up their Saturday's which may be their only day off to spend with family.

Most college goers are working all summer when they get back from school.also the good ole days most people that volunteered had ancestors from their town that had participated on teams and in departments for years.Now most move away.

I  also see Old fashioned  racing  getting bigger , because its a lot cheaper to build a cart  then to up keep a B and C rig or buy them.

I am just happy at least the core teams still have enough  members to stay out there on the track!

[h4digger]

New Hyde Park ran in the Hunter drill - RVC merged with Baldwin Tomcats- Hicksville ran in the Baldwin Hybrid drill- no Merrick yet. as far as the Suffolk teams here Sayville, Cutchouge merged with other teams & the others just short on manpower this year

[xracer]

It's sad, it almost appears drill team racing will never regain the momentum it once had. Today, only 5 teams ran in Amityville, the host didn't even run, 5 ran in Sea Breeze, 3 ran in the last Northern NY drill, at this rate, this years State will have the record for least amount of teams participating.

[scando1000]

I finally figured out why we keep losing teams every year. This year looks like to be the worst.

This is the reason why racing will not last much longer. There are many members who race who have children and 90% of them don't race. Also people who don't have children that race like me are also part of the problem.


The past hundred years this sport in the fire service has been passed down from generation to generation all family related for the most part. Guys like A Rock and Ralph Rubino and I are rare. We don't have family in the fire service before we started racing. But the majority of guys do. The greatest guy who ever raced we all know he is his father is a great racer also passed on from generation to generation.

The problem in the last 20 years. That tradition somehow has stopped. A friend of mine blames it on wives of guys who race. I don't agree with him but that's his opinion. I think it's both parents that are part of the problem not the kid who's not racing. Everything today is about safety safety safety so they look at this sport is not being safe. Then they want other guys kids to race and not theirs and there you have it the sport just fading away.

Things can change they always do. but this is the problem.. until we change back to the way it used to be. Racing will just fade away. Sorry to say but that's the truth.

Tony The nose

[sneaker1]

A couple other things. I look in my neighborhood in the summer that has lots of kids in it, but they basically stay in the house and the streets are empty because of video games and social media. Children are also sent to camp all summer because it costs parents too much money to live on Long Island and both parents work all day just to make ends meet.
Also some kids if active are on 1,2 and 3 different sports teams and travel teams and have no time for FD racing.